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Thursday, 17 March 2016

First day-flyer of the year

There was quite a bit of insect activity in the garden this afternoon. Lots of 7-spot Ladybirds including some mated pairs, my first solitary bee (Anthophora plumipes) and first hoverfly (Eristalis tenax) of the year, plus the little chap shown below who was flying around in the sunshine:

Mompha sp., Westcott 17th March

It is either Mompha bradleyi or (more likely) Mompha jurassicella, both of which I get in the garden, but will need to be dissected to confirm the species. Both of them hibernate and their larval stages both feed on Great Willowherb Epilobium hirsutum which is widespread in ditches around the village.